Ben Finkel
Programming & Cloud Computing
Python Training Paths for Network, QA, and Data Teams
Prepare IT teams for PCEP, PCAP, and PCAT with Python courses spanning network automation, test automation, pandas data analysis, and TensorFlow, so scripting skills become shared and validated across the team.
18
Courses
3,364
Videos
475h
Total
Where teams start
Most Popular Python Certifications
Most teams assign PCEP first for a shared Python baseline, then PCAP for OOP, modules, and exceptions. Network teams often start with Python for Network Engineers, which assumes no prior programming background.
Associate
PCAP certification
This PCAP certification training is designed to help you gain confidence in backend development, software engineering, and data science. This course will teach you professional-level skills in designing, debugging, and refactoring multi-module programs. You'll master Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), modules, packages, and the Standard Library. From handling file streams to using generators and closures, this PCAP certification training provides the intermediate expertise you need to solve real-world problems, whether you're a developer, data scientist, or network engineer.
Ben Finkel
Python Network Automation
This foundational Python for Network Engineers course equips you with the practical scripting skills needed to automate modern networks. Designed for networking professionals with zero Python experience, this course will help you learn Python fundamentals, object-oriented programming, data types, and control flow. Learn to work with YAML, JSON, and CSV data formats, and use libraries like Netmiko, NAPALM, Scrapli, and Requests to automate routers, switches, and APIs. Explore REST API integration, configuration templating with Jinja2, and multithreading for concurrent device access. You’ll also get experience with version control (Git/GitHub), virtual environments, automated testing (Pytest), and Python best practices like PEP 8, linting, and unit testing. Build real-world skills in network programmability, and infrastructure automation. Start your network automation journey here.
John McGovern
Entry
PCEP
Build a solid Python foundation and validate your skills with this PCEP Certified Entry‑Level Python Programmer course. You’ll learn how to install and run Python, use variables, numbers, strings and operators, read and write console input/output, and follow PEP‑8 style. You’ll master control flow with if/elif/else, for and while loops, and explore data collections like lists, tuples, dictionaries and strings. You’ll also write your own functions, handle exceptions, and practice exam‑style questions so you can earn your PCEP certification and start building real projects with confidence. This online Python course serves as both exam prep *and* hands‑on training to increase your proficiency with Python, no matter your job role.
Shaun Wassell
Python Network Automation
Take your automation skills beyond basic scripting, and learn to automate Cisco networks. This course teaches Python for network engineers who are ready to master Nornir's inventory abstraction and streamline CI/CD workflows. You’ll learn how to implement concurrent task execution to manage complex Cisco environments with elite efficiency. Whether you're onboarding a team or refining your own toolkit, this training turns manual processes into scalable, automated powerhouses.
John McGovern
Python Functions
This Python Functions Tutorial training covers how to write functions in Python, special blocks of code that only run at certain times throughout your program. You’ll learn how to work with Python functions, from understanding parameters and arguments to writing code blocks that execute only when called.
Shaun Wassell, John McGovern
Professional
PCPP1
This Python certification course takes you deep into advanced Python programming. You’ll learn how to design and build object-oriented applications, create Tkinter GUIs, manage JSON and SQL data, handle errors, and apply design patterns like Singleton and Observer. You’ll also practice with multithreading, API integration, network programming, and secure coding techniques. With expert-led lessons and real-world examples, this course prepares you to pass the Certified Professional in Python Programming 1 (PCPP1) exam and build confidence as a professional developer.
Shaun Wassell
Capability ladder
Python Certifications by Level
The most popular Python courses at each certification level — from first credentials for new team members through expert and specialty tracks.
1
Certification tier
Tier 1 — Entry Certifications
First credentials for new team members and cross-trained roles — the on-ramp before vendor specialization.
Entry
PCEP
Build a solid Python foundation and validate your skills with this PCEP Certified Entry‑Level Python Programmer course. You’ll learn how to install and run Python, use variables, numbers, strings and operators, read and write console input/output, and follow PEP‑8 style. You’ll master control flow with if/elif/else, for and while loops, and explore data collections like lists, tuples, dictionaries and strings. You’ll also write your own functions, handle exceptions, and practice exam‑style questions so you can earn your PCEP certification and start building real projects with confidence. This online Python course serves as both exam prep *and* hands‑on training to increase your proficiency with Python, no matter your job role.
Shaun Wassell
Entry
PCEI Certification
Turn Python basics into AI skills that pay. This PCEI certification training prepares you for the Entry-level AI Specialist with Python certification, perfect for AI beginners who want to level up. This PCEI certification training will show you how to analyze datasets, implement basic AI logic, and evaluate the capabilities and limitations of AI models. You’ll write real AI-style algorithms in Python, work with small datasets, and explore machine learning, neural networks, and generative AI at a practical level. Most importantly, you’ll build portfolio-ready projects you can showcase for employers, all while preparing for the Python AI certification exam.
Shaun Wassell
Entry
PCED
This PCED training prepares you to earn the Certified Entry-Level Data Analyst with Python certification, with no Python or data science background required. You'll learn how data is collected, stored, and transformed, then move into Python fundamentals and apply them to real data tasks. You’ll clean messy datasets, run descriptive statistics, and spot trends. The course also covers how to communicate your findings clearly through structured reports and basic visualizations. By the end, you'll have the practical Python skills and exam knowledge to start working with data professionally, and pass the PCED-30-02 exam.
Shaun Wassell
2
Certification tier
Tier 2 — Associate Certifications
Core role credentials — the level most teams standardize on for day-to-day operations.
Associate
PCAP certification
This PCAP certification training is designed to help you gain confidence in backend development, software engineering, and data science. This course will teach you professional-level skills in designing, debugging, and refactoring multi-module programs. You'll master Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), modules, packages, and the Standard Library. From handling file streams to using generators and closures, this PCAP certification training provides the intermediate expertise you need to solve real-world problems, whether you're a developer, data scientist, or network engineer.
Ben Finkel
Associate
PCAT
This PCAT training covers Python test automation and quality assurance for the Certified Associate Tester with Python exam. It teaches writing reliable, efficient tests with unittest and PyTest, test-driven development (TDD), behavior-driven development (BDD), creating and managing test doubles with unittest.mock and pytest-mock, parameterized and property-based testing, and automating web interface tests with Selenium. For an engineering or IT Manager who needs software to run as expected, PCAT gives QA engineers, aspiring software testers, and developers one certified standard for Python testing. Individuals building a foundation in software testing earn the same Python Institute credential.
Shaun Wassell
Associate
Python PCAD Data Analyst
When reporting depends on spreadsheets or one person's scripts, results get inconsistent and reviews slow down. This intermediate PCAD™ course gives IT Directors and Training Managers a structured way to build a shared Python data analysis baseline. Analysts, data-focused IT practitioners, and Team Leads who support reporting all work from the same workflow. Across 61 skills, learners move from Jupyter Notebooks, NumPy, and Pandas into data cleaning, missing values, grouping, filtering, and transformation. They then build Matplotlib and Seaborn visualizations, collect web data with BeautifulSoup, CSS selectors, and XPath, and cover SQL basics, object-oriented programming, and descriptive statistics. The course closes with evaluating a K-nearest neighbor classifier using accuracy, precision, recall, F1 score, and support. At about 48.9 hours per learner, this works best as a multi-week enablement path. Training Managers can assign it by role or sprint, with data preparation first, visualization second, then SQL, scraping, and model evaluation as needed. CBT Nuggets Playlists and Team Reporting help Team Leads sequence the rollout and track completion across the team.
Shaun Wassell
3
Certification tier
Tier 3 — Professional Certifications
Advanced credentials for the engineers who own design, escalation, and complex environments.
Professional
PCPP1
This Python certification course takes you deep into advanced Python programming. You’ll learn how to design and build object-oriented applications, create Tkinter GUIs, manage JSON and SQL data, handle errors, and apply design patterns like Singleton and Observer. You’ll also practice with multithreading, API integration, network programming, and secure coding techniques. With expert-led lessons and real-world examples, this course prepares you to pass the Certified Professional in Python Programming 1 (PCPP1) exam and build confidence as a professional developer.
Shaun Wassell
Recently added
Newest Releases
The latest Python training added to the catalog — new courses land here within a day of publication.
Discipline crossover
Python Training by Path
Where Python training overlaps the disciplines your team hires for — each path page shows the full picture.
Associate
Associate
Associate
Entry
Entry
Associate
Entry
Hands-on Python practice
Human-led training is the point: engineers practice real skills with expert guidance, not just video playback.
Why CBT Nuggets
How CBT Nuggets is different for Python teams
The platform features IT directors comparing training platforms ask about most often.
Full catalog
More Python Courses
Everything else in the Python catalog beyond the curated sections above.
Taught by IT professionals
Python training your team learns from
Built and taught by engineers with decades of experience running real-world IT infrastructure — not crowdsourced contributors.
Trevor Sullivan
DevOps & Cloud Engineering
Jonathan Barrios
Data Science, Machine Learning & AI
Team outcome
Faster ramp for new hires
Curated playlists and team assignments make onboarding repeatable instead of relying on ad hoc shadowing and tribal knowledge.
What the team gets: Scale your team, backfill a role, or standardize skills across distributed engineers.
Frequently asked questions about Python training
Common questions IT directors ask when evaluating Python training for their team.
Which roles and skill levels do these Python courses serve?
The courses range from entry level to professional. PCEP, Introductory Python for Data Analysts, and PCED suit sysadmins, support staff, and new analysts. PCAP and PCAT fit developers and QA engineers. PCPP1, Advanced Network Automation with Cisco and Python, and Professional TensorFlow Developer target experienced professionals.
Which Python certifications do the courses prepare a team for?
Courses prepare learners for the Python Institute's PCEP, PCAP, PCPP1, PCAT, PCED, PCAD, and PCEI certifications. The vendor issues the certification; CBT Nuggets prepares the learner for it.
How should a Training Manager sequence Python training by role?
Start most staff on PCEP, then move to PCAP. From there, QA engineers add PCAT, developers add PCPP1, and data staff move from PCED to PCAD or into PCEI, Introduction to Deep Learning, and Professional TensorFlow Developer. Network teams take Python for Network Engineers before Advanced Network Automation with Cisco and Python.
How can Python training reduce manual network work?
Python for Network Engineers covers SSH scripting with Netmiko, NAPALM, and Scrapli, REST APIs, and Jinja2 templates. Advanced Network Automation with Cisco and Python then moves experienced engineers to repeatable Nornir-based automation. Python and Ansible Automation for Juniper Networks covers Juniper environments.
How much time should we plan per learner?
Time depends on the course. Introductory Python for Data Analysts runs about 6.8 hours, PCAP about 13 hours and 45 minutes, and Advanced Network Automation with Cisco and Python about 33 hours. Professional TensorFlow Developer runs roughly 36.6 hours. Most skills are short enough to fit alongside project work.
How do we track progress and document readiness for audits?
Team reporting shows per-learner progress and completion, with cohort and group views. Completion exports provide audit evidence. The platform also includes virtual labs, practice exams, and pre- and post-assessments, and IT Trainerbot answers questions with timestamped links to the source training video.